Pragmatics is the study of language as it is used in a social context, including
its effect on the communicators. Messages are variable, depending on the situation.
Ambiguous messages such as “How are you?” “What’s new?” and “You’re looking
good” have different meanings, depending on the context. For example, many people
use such phrases as phatic communication—communication that is used to
establish a mood of sociability rather than to communicate information or ideas.
Indeed, they would be surprised if someone offered a serious or thoughtful answer
to such questions or statements. On the other hand, if you are visiting your grandmother
who has been ill, your questions about how she is feeling are sincere and
designed to elicit information. Similarly, you might genuinely be complimenting
another person’s new haircut, new tattoo, or new tongue bolt when you tell him he
is looking good. Pragmatic rules help us interpret meaning in specifi c contexts.